Wichita Stealth game notes

Published on May 18, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Wichita Stealth (5-1)
At Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (4-2)
Date: Saturday, May 22, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: The Ford Center (18,000)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss:
Officials: (Referee), (Umpire), (Head Linesman), (Line Judge), (Back Judge)
Radio: All Stealth games can be heard live on 96.3 KRZZ FM. Jay Sanderson and C.J. will be calling the action all season long for the Stealth.
Series Record: First Meeting
Streaks: Wichita L-1; Oklahoma City L-1
Coaches: WIC: Sean Ponder (5-1 in 2004, 9-6-1 overall 2nd season) OKC: Gary Reasons (4-2 1st season)

TEAM WEBSITES: Stealth: www.wichitastealth.com;
Yard Dawgz: www.okcyarddawgz.com

THE STAKES: Wichita tries to stay perfect in the Southwest division and in first place. A win will move their record to 3-0 in the division and 6-1 overall.

THE SERIES: This will be the first of three meetings during the 2004 season between these two teams.

THE IFs:
If Wichita defeats Oklahoma City, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 1-0 series record with Oklahoma City
· Give Wichita a 3-1 road record in 2004
· Give Sean Ponder a 10-6-1 career record as head coach
· Give Wichita a one game win streak
· Give Wichita a 3-0 divisional record


WICHITA STEALTH (5-1, L-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 PEORIA W 33-13
4/10 LAREDO W 44-22
4/16 @ Peoria W 47-26
4/24 GREEN BAY W 68-53
5/8 @ Rio Grande W 35-28
5/15 @ Quad City L 39-73
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/22 @ Oklahoma City 7:30 L-1 First Meeting
5/29 LAREDO 7:00 W-1 WIC 1-0
6/5 @ Tulsa 7:30 L-1 TUL 5-1
6/12 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 -- --
6/19 TULSA 7:00 -- --
7/3 @ Rio Grande 7:30 L-2 WIC 1-0
7/10 @ Tulsa 7:30 -- --
7/17 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 -- --
7/24 @ Laredo 7:30 -- WIC 1-0
7/31 RIO GRANDE 7:00 -- --

OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (4-2, L-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 @ Tulsa W 70-63
4/10 RIO GRANDE VALLEY W 55-17
4/24 @ Rio Grande Valley L 41-44
5/1 TULSA W 62-60
5/8 LAREDO W 79-48
5/14 @ Green Bay L 53-71
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/22 WICHITA 7:30 L-1 First Meeting
5/29 ARKANSAS 7:30 -- First Meeting
6/5 @ Laredo 7:30 W-1 OKC 1-0
6/12 @ Wichita 7:00 -- --
6/19 LAREDO 7:30 -- OKC 1-0
6/26 @ Columbus 7:30 -- First Meeting
7/3 CENTRAL VALLEY 7:30 W-1 First Meeting
7/10 @ Rio Grande Valley 7:30 L-2 Tied 1-1
7/17 @ Wichita 7:00 -- --
7/23 TULSA 7:30 L-1 OKC 2-0
(All times are Central)

STEALTH HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Sean Ponder begins his second season in arena football. He took over the Stealth last season after seven games. Ponder led the Stealth to their second consecutive playoff berth in af2. He brings over five years of college coaching experience to Wichita. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Orange Coast Community College in California. At Orange Coast, he helped turn around a program that had not won over two games the past three seasons into a junior college powerhouse.

OKLAHOMA CITY HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Gary Reasons is in his first season in arena football and af2. He played in the National Football League for the New York Giants.

THE LAST TIME WE MET (A recap of the last meeting): This marks the first time that these two teams will meet. After this week's game the two teams will meet two more times during the regular season. Both of the remaining games will be played in Wichita.

HEY, DON'T I KNOW YOU? (A look at some familiar faces)
Yard Dawgz players Drew Mitchell and Willie Grissom both spent time with the Wichita Stealth. Mitchell played during the 2003 season and Grissom was in Wichita in 2001 and 2002.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who ranked among af2's statistical leaders in 2004:
STEALTH
Player Rank Category Stat
Aaron Sparrow 5th Pass Rating 113.7
Aaron Sparrow 4th Passing Yards/Game 253.3
Aaron Sparrow 6th Total Offense 1,532
Cliff Holloman T-6th Tackles For Loss 4.0
David Hurst T-7th Tackles For Loss 3.5
Daren Williams T-7th Tackles For Loss 3.5
David Hurst T-5th Sacks 3.5
Cliff Holloman T-6th Sacks 3.0
Markevius Woods T-6th Sacks 3.0
Marc Bacote T-7th Sacks 2.5
Jeff Macrea T-8th Sacks 2.0
YARD DAWGZ
Player Rank Category Stat
Timon Marshall T-4th Scoring 96 pts
Al Hunt T-5th Scoring 90 pts
Craig Strickland 1st Pass Rating 120.9
Timon Marshall 8th All-Purpose 1,062
Craig Strickland 2nd Total Offense 1,656
Peter Martinez 1st PAT Kicking 87.5%
James Landers T-1st Fumbles Forced 3
Drew Mutchell 5th Tackles For Loss 4.5
James Landers 1st Sacks 5.5
Drew Mitchell 3rd Sacks 4.5
Johnell Jones T-4th Sacks 4.0

LOOKING BACK: Last week, the Stealth suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the #2 ranked Quad City Steamwheelers 73-39.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how WICHITA and OKLAHOMA CITY stack up:
Statistical STEALTH YARD DAWGZ
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 15th 44.3 1st 60.0
Scoring Defense 3rd 35.8 16th 50.5
Total Offense 10th 265.8 1st 293.8
Total Defense T-2nd 204.5 13th 260.7
Pass Offense 9th 251.7 1st 278.7
Pass Defense 2nd 188.2 18th 245.0
Rushing Offense 19th 14.2 17th 15.2
Rushing Defense 10th 16.3 T-8th 15.7
Scoring 14th 238 3rd 306
Scoring (Kicking) 14th 28 2nd 48
Pass Rating 6th 111.4 1st 121.1
Pass Def. Rating 5th 94.7 22nd 116.5
Kickoff Returns T-12th 19.0 14th 18.3
MFG Returns 18th 12.9 16th 15.0
Turnover Margin 8th 0 T-5th +4
Field Goals % T-12th .200 T-8th .286
PAT Kicking % T-16th .714 2nd .875
Sacks By T-2nd 18 1st 22
Sacks Against T-8th 9 T-1st 2
First Downs 9th 92 T-1st 107
Opp. First Downs 1st 70 T-10th 87
Penalty Yards T-5th 306 T-8th 318
Opp. Penalty Yds 3rd 256 7th 334
Red Zone Offense 14th 73.5% 3rd 82.9%
Red Zone Defense 3rd 59.4% 18th 80.6%

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Dustin Fish Leg Long Term IR
OS Jonathan Jackson Shoulder Long Term IR
QB Heath Ridenour Shoulder Long Term IR
WR/DB Alan Jones Long Term IR

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
SEAN PONDER, On the loss at Quad City: "We had some turnovers early and we never able to get back in rhythm."

REACHING FOR RECORDS: (A look at upcoming milestones): Stealth quarterback Aaron Sparrow surpassed the 1,000 career attempt mark in the game versus Green Bay and last week in the game versus Quad City Sparrow surpassed Chris Windsor for 8th place on the all-time passing yardage list. He is also only 1,474 yards away from 10,000 career yards, and only 43 touchdown passes short of 200. There are only three other af2 quarterbacks who have thrown for 10,000 yards and 200 touchdowns. (Ricky Hebert, Craig Strickland, and Bryan Snyder). Listed below are the top ten passers in af2 history.

All-Time af2 Passers
Sherard Poteete Bossier City 12,164
Craig Strickland Oklahoma City 11,885
Bryan Snyder T. Valley 11,647
Ricky Hebert 10,779
Bob Bees Tulsa 9,587
Matt Sauk Louisville 9,580
Anthony Buich 9,479
Aaron Sparrow Wichita 8,526
Chris Windsor Columbus 8,522
Kane Claunch San Diego 8,226
Players with a team listed are still active
ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Stealth games):
The Stealth will return home for a re-match with the Laredo Law on May 29th. The Stealth defeated the Law 44-22 on April 10th.

FLY-BY's: (A look at team trends and tidbits):
STEALTH RETURNERS: The Stealth return eight members from a team that recorded the franchise record for wins last season. They return defensive specialist Ty Ardoin, offensive/defensive lineman Dustin Fish, offensive/defensive lineman Cliff Holloman, wide receiver/defensive back Brian Livingston, fullback/linebacker Jeff Macrea, fullback/linebacker Daren Williams, offensive/defensive lineman Markevius Woods, and offensive specialist Michael Dritlein.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: After finishing the 2003 season ranked near the middle of the af2 in almost every defensive category, the Stealth have started the 2004 season off with a bang on the defensive side of the ball. Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Troy Biladeau has his defense near the top of every defensive category. The Stealth rank 3rd in scoring defense (only allowing 35.8 points per game), 2nd in total defense (204.5 yards per game), 2nd in pass defense (188.2 yards per game), and 5th in pass defense rating (94.7 rating).

SHUTTING THEM DOWN: So far this season the Stealth have shut out their opponents in eight of the twenty-four quarters they have played. Last season, they only had four quarters of shut out football all season long.

"THE REAL DEAL": Following his performance in the game versus the Green Bay Blizzard, Stealth quarterback Aaron Sparrow was named the af2's Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week. Sparrow turned in the eighth best passing night in af2 history, and a Stealth franchise record, throwing for 382 yards against the Blizzard. The af2 record is 459 yards by Shane Stafford of the Tallahassee Thunder at the Birmingham Steeldogs on June 2, 2000.

TOP GUNS: (A look at players and match-ups to watch):
Stealth QB Aaron Sparrow: Sparrow brings two years of af2 experience to Wichita and looks to break the 10,000 yard passing mark for his career this season. Sparrow has also thrown for 157 touchdowns in his 38 game af2 career. Sparrow was named the offensive player of the year in 2000 as well as All-af2 quarterback.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK, Stealth offensive specialist Damon Thompson: The Stealth offense was strengthened the week of the Green Bay game when they were assigned offensive specialist Damon Thompson. Thompson played last season with the Richmond Speed and finished the season fourth in the af2 in receiving yardage with 1,569 yards and 27 touchdowns. In three games with the Stealth, Thompson has caught 19 passes for 224 yards and seven touchdowns.

Stealth WR/DB Brian Livingston: Livingston returns to Wichita for his second straight year. Last year, Livingston led the Stealth in tackles, interceptions, and forced fumbles. This season he leads the team in tackles and is tied for the team lead in interceptions thus far. Last week versus Rio Grande Valley, he was named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game. Along with Sparrow, Livingston was also named to the 2000 All-af2 team as a defensive specialist.

Stealth defense versus Oklahoma City receivers, Al Hunt and Timon Marshall: This week features the best pass defense in the league versus two very experienced receivers. So far, this season the Stealth pass defense has only given up 188.2 yards per game, while the duo of Hunt and Marshall have combined for 1,080 yards and 28 touchdowns.


STEALTH FLIGHT PLAN: (A look at the Stealth schedule this week)
Wednesday: 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. PRACTICE (The Sports Zone)
Thursday: 6:30 am – 8:30 am PRACTICE (The Sports Zone)
Friday: 8:00 am PRACTICE (The Sports Zone)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m. KICKOFF!!! (The Ford Center)

RECENT STEALTH ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
5/13 ACTIVATED FROM SHORT TERM IR Jimmy Hamilton
5/13 ACTIVATED FROM SHORT TERM IR Michael Dritlein
5/13 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Ronald Pou
5/13 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Herman Gordon
5/13 PLACED ON RE-ASSIGNMENT Antoine Williams
5/13 ACTIVATED FROM LONG TERM IR Antoine Williams


GAME AWARD WINNERS
BABY RUTH REAL DEAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Aaron Sparrow-Wichita
2 Laredo Anthony Griffin-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Michael Dritlein-Wichita
4 Green Bay Damon Thompson-Wichita
6 @ Rio Grande Brian Livingston-Wichita
7 @ Quad City Ronnie Gordon-Quad City

ARMY IRONMAN AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Daren Williams-Wichita
2 Laredo Marc Bacote-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Brian Livingston-Wichita
4 Green Bay Brian Livingston-Wichita
6 @ Rio Grande Manwell Talbert-Rio Grande
7 @ Quad City Bear Brown-Quad City

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Cliff Holloman-Wichita
2 Laredo Cliff Holloman-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Marc Bacote-Wichita
4 Green Bay Ty Ardoin-Wichita
6 @ Rio Grande Marc Bacote-Wichita
7 @ Quad City Jamaal Cherry-Quad City

af2 WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Week Offensive Defensive Ironman
1 Jeff Hewitt-Quad City Karleton Thomas-Rio Grande Valley Jerrian James-Tennessee Valley
2 Randall Lane-Green Bay Jerry Turner-Birmingham Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
3 Matt Burstein-Cape Fear Justin Thomas-Louisville Leroy McFadden-Wilkes-Barre
4 Aaron Sparrow-Wichita Demetrius Forney-Louisville Bjorn Barre-Tulsa
5 Chris Sanders-Manchester Matt Forbes-Quad City Steve Gorrie-Florida
6 Bo Smith-Bossier Takuya Furutani-Louisville Anthony Jordan-Birmingham
7 Chris Greisen-Green Bay Deronn Finley-Green Bay Ricky Leung-Wai-Central Valley

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